New York Times and The Athletic workers demand company scrap Kalshi deal

Employees at The New York Times and The Athletic, represented by the NewsGuild, have formally demanded that the company terminate its partnership with Kalshi, a prediction market platform. The workers argue that the deal, which involves integrating Kalshi’s election betting data into Times coverage, compromises the journalistic integrity and independence of the publication. The union claims that betting on election outcomes creates a conflict of interest and undermines the public's trust in the newsroom's reporting. This protest highlights growing tensions between media organizations and the emerging trend of integrating financial prediction markets into news platforms. The NewsGuild emphasizes that the company’s leadership should prioritize ethical standards over commercial ventures that could potentially influence public perception of political coverage. As of now, the company has not publicly signaled a reversal of the partnership, leaving the internal dispute unresolved as the election cycle continues.